Ultima Ratio
by OpheliacAngel
Summary: Ames White, always on top, dragged under the bus just until he would look over at him again. Fill for h/c bingo amnesty for the prompt 'forced to hurt somebody.' Series: Part 1 of The Reverence Complex


**Title:** Ultima Ratio

 **Author:** OpheliacAngel

 **Pairing:** Ames/Alec

 **Genres:** Angst/Romance

 **Rating:** Teen

 **Summary:** Ames White, always on top, dragged under the bus just until _he_ would look over at him again.

 **A/N:** Fill for h/c_bingo amnesty for the prompt 'forced to hurt somebody.'

 **Soundtrack:** Title comes from Lacuna Coil's song of the same name. Lyrics from Senses Fail's 'Bite to Break the Skin,' especially the Legion of Doom remix.

 **Series:** Part 1 of The Reverence Complex

Ultima Ratio - the final argument, the last resort (by force)

* * *

 _~It_ _'s getting slower, it's getting harder_

 _To fight by myself_

 _A bitter fashion, this shield that I have_

 _Tears rain from above~_

* * *

The thing was, Ames wasn't supposed to fall in love.

On the run as he was, the one thing he meant to take with him was leverage in the shape of one very adaptable, human-looking enough transgenic. He had considered taking X5-452, the one whom others deemed as Max, but Alec was far more reachable and offered to be far more approachable and easier to handle than the she-wolf.

It was long after the fact that he realized Alec's name came first in his thoughts, rather than his given designation. Maybe Ames was just done with the bullshit, wanted to cut right down to the matter at hand. Maybe it was just easier to give things that weren't people _names._ As good as it did them.

The best thing he could was drive Alec away from the other freaks, to save him from a life in that poison city. To save Ames' own ass. Why he had to convince himself he was doing some good, he didn't know, but cut off from the government and from the only family he had ever known and dedicated himself to, the Conclave, he figured whatever made him feel slightly whole inside was whatever would keep him alive.

The gun was in his hand and aiming before he even registered getting it out and loading it. It took less than three seconds to find its mark, less than two for his finger to squeeze.

X5-452 went after a newly downed Alec, but White was faster. He sprinted towards the transgenic, toward _his prize_ , shielding himself behind a durable enough SUV as one of the freaks fired at him. Ames had to give them credit, they cared enough about their own to put their own pathetic lives in danger. As much good as it would do X5-494 in the end, Ames half prided himself and the other half disgracefully reassured himself of. The Familiar pulled forward slightly and fired off a few good shots before ducking. When he came back around again he noticed the damage was minimal, yet a grin graced his face when he noticed them scattering and outright running away from the human cops.

His eyes slid downward: X5-494 - _Alec_ \- was left behind in the dust.

Ames took his chance.

He made it to the transgenic's side and maneuvered them both behind the SUV before the cops could even blink. Alec did, lazily, staring up at him as if his eyes couldn't believe the sight. Ames sneered down at him, poking and prodding his body until it laid in the position Ames wanted it to. Alec relented and it wasn't beyond the Familiar to realize that Alec was playing weak and dumb, hoping to get away.

Fat chance of that.

"You." Alec rasped, one little word but all the vigor and accusation.

White nodded, unable to hide his smugness. He realized right now that back then, when they had first met all those months ago, Alec had always been destined to be _his_. "Me all right," he responded before lifting Alec with little ease over his shoulder. "Your own knight in shining armor. You're coming with me, freak, and you really should be thanking me considering you wouldn't have lasted another week in there."

Max and several of her freaks must have been on a supply run, a sloppy one at that considering both the Familiar and the human police had found them. Still, Ames had been watching for weeks now, waiting for an opportunity to nab one of them, any one. Though Alec hadn't slipped out of his thoughts completely. He had shot him after all, just before they humiliated him, and thought about stitching him up for days afterward, even in his goddamn sleep.

He would admire his handiwork later. For now, he had to get the two of them the hell out of there.

Shots fired through the back window of the SUV and White growled at Alec to duck out of habit, not even checking to see if he did. His full attention was focused on the road then, scarcely thinking about the bullet still lodged in X5-494's thigh, the second bullet he had graced the transgenic with. He would stitch this one up, fingers and needle administering as much pain as Ames needed to go on. As Ames needed to breathe steadily again.

"There's nowhere to go. Borders are even tighter than usual," Alec gritted out. Ames could see out of the corner of his eye the transgenic's hand clutching his thigh. He swallowed heavily, the skin looked so soft and warm and more than anything he wanted to brush his fingers over that hand, revel in the fact that Alec was now _his_ and _no one else_ _'s._ Not even the transgenic could control his fate now. Ames hadn't touched Wendy in long, _long_ months. Hadn't touched anyone since then either. A guy had needs. A guy couldn't be expected to resist those needs against one very young, very attractive, _very virile_ transgenic.

Ames looked away, and promptly kicked himself for as difficult as it was to simply avert his eyes. "For you, maybe." The Familiar still had clearance, _barely._ The red flag might show up in the system, but his clearance to exit the country didn't clear for a month and it had only been three and a half weeks. All he needed was a little luck and for the transgenic sitting in the seat beside him, blood staining the leather seats, to keep his mouth shut. "Am I gonna have to shoot you again or are you gonna shut up?"

Alec shot him a smirk. "As much as I know you'd love to shoot me again, White, I think I can restrain myself for you."

"Ames," White barked without thinking. He looked over at the transgenic for a split second, though long enough to notice the look of confusion in his glazed over with suppressed pain eyes. "Sick of that last name bullshit. I shot you, kidnapped you, we should be on a first name basis considering this isn't the first time we've been through this."

X5-494 snorted. "Alec." White forced himself to look through the windshield. "Though you probably already knew that."

"Alec," Ames tried out loud, without answering the carefully concealed question. It was the only time he had ever dared to voice that name aloud, and while it didn't fail in its awkwardness it sounded nothing less than perfect when he voiced it, so wrong because of _how_ perfect.

His heart beat harder, faster, until Ames was absolutely convinced that Alec could hear it too.

* * *

Alec bit his lip and didn't make a sound as Ames worked. The Familiar expected accusations and idle threats to be thrown about, eager to start in on the easy banter between himself and the transgenic that would soon come about again, White oddly reminiscent of days past, but he decided not to rush anything and focused instead on closing the gaping wound, despite how pretty Alec looked bloodied and angry but too tired to do anything about either of those things.

His fingers pulled the thread taught and then bore down again, trying to keep the stitches as even as possible. Without the bullet there would have been no Alec; he would have waited weeks, if not longer, to catch the transgenic in his sights again. This had been worth it. Hell, the transgenic wouldn't even scar.

If only that transgenic would _look_ at him.

His heart started up its annoying throb again, reminding White to inflict minimum pain. Everything he knew, everything that he had been taught instructed otherwise, but oddly enough he wasn't getting off on Alec's pinched features and carefully controlled breathing. It would be so much better if X5-494 was at the top of his game, lashing out, scared and vulnerable. Ames was conflicted on this though, wasn't seeing so much of an advantage as reveling in the sight of Alec bleeding all over _his_ stained sheets, dulled green eyes occasionally slipping shut, completely at his immortal enemy's mercy and it looked like he didn't even care. Faking it again, or too tired to give a damn?

Ames finished. He sliced through the excess thread with his teeth just to feel Alec's clammy skin against his cheek, glanced up at his fever-bright eyes to see the transgenic swaying, Ames balancing him and then resigning himself to holding Alec up gently. Had he been that gentle with Wendy? He pulled back the neck of Alec's sweat-soaked shirt to see the previous wound, inflicted weeks prior, swollen and bright red and obviously not taken care of properly.

Alec _was_ entirely at his mercy. Moreover, the Familiar overly loved it.

 _He_ was soft under Ames' hands as the Familiar pushed him down onto _his_ bed, stirred delicately when Ames clicked on the television to add some background noise to the conflicting emotions tumbling through his gut and occasionally tossed around his head like basketballs. His own heartbeat was slow now, even, as if pumping to the beat of Alec's own. Alec looked small and young and exhausted, so much bare skin there for Ames to enjoy, so much… Jesus, since when had White sunk this low?

Regardless of his past, Alec was as beautiful as any test-tube hatched reprobate could be. Even more as Ames looked down at him now: laid bare, half-naked, sweating and suffering and his sweat would taste so sweet if Ames allowed himself…

No, Ames White wasn't supposed to fall in love.

Yet as he stitched up the torn, soft, fabricated skin of X5-494's shoulder, fingers struggling not to skim over the skin unnecessarily as if he were admiring it, which he most certainly wasn't, Ames considered that there were worse things than feeling something for someone who was meant to be every bit beneath him.

Feelings that couldn't be explained but could be analyzed - not revered - none the less.

 **FIN**


End file.
